Buki to ningu – combat and shinobi tools

Notice:

This list is meant as an encyclopedia, not to be a practitioners shopping list. I hope it’s useful.

The list doesn’t include pictures. This is partly to lessen the chore but more because a short description of a tool is more informative than a picture. Despite “a picture being worth thousand words”, a picture doesn’t tell why the tool is called that or of a certain type.

The tools have been listed under the categories from smaller to larger, or according to some other principle that felt good for the moment, or in random. The category names are either something encountered in different sources, or defined or translated by the author.

On the names and translations “|” differentiates forms of translettering and “/” different terms.

– Yagyûzue / jûbeizue: 4 shaku / 121 cm long walking stick. Loooks like a black-lacquered cane, but is trgon enough for a weapon and longer than an Edo Period katana. Yagyû Jûbei Mitsuyoshi developed this Yagyû Shinkage-ryû secret weapon.

– Bonden: Approximately 1,8 m long staff carried by the yamabushi, top end closed with a folded square of white paper.

Bladed Weapons

– Tanken (knives)

— Tôsu (sword’s child?): An early type of very short knife, approximately the size of a kozuka.

— Tantô: Short almost straight single-edged knife made in similar fashion to a sword. Length between 13 to 28 cm; defined as being under a shaku (30,3 cm). Tsuba can be minimal oval shape. Could be carried in place of wakizashi.

— Kubizashi / kubizashigatana (|kankyûtô) (head piercer / head piercing sword): Small two-edged knife to mark taken heads. 12-15 cm long, at the most about 13 mm wide. End of handle pierced for a name tag.

— Uchi-gatana | uchigatana / katana / daitô katana (single-edged striking sword? / single-edged sword / large single-edged sword): Long sword with two-hand handle, 70-120 cm. Carried thrusted through the belt cutting edge upwards. Came to use after unmounted warfare became the norm (even for upper classes) during the Muromachi period. The blade itselfItse didn’t change much from tachi, being usually somewhat shorter, but new method of carrying brought a new term. During the Edo period the length of blade was defined as 2 shaku 3 sun (69,69 cm). With wakizashi/shôtô forms a daishô.

— Handachi (half tachi): A sword carried like a katana but that is partially furnished in tachi style.

— Toppei style uchigatana: Furniture to carry a sword with western suit. On the backside one fitting is featured with a tying cord.

— Guntô (army sword): Sword with military assembly.

— Kyu guntô: Army sword furnished in western style with one or two hand handle and handguard. Used in 1883-1945 / 1890-1935 / 1895-.

— Shin guntô | shin-guntô | shinguntô (new army sword): Army sword for officers and non-commissioned officers carried in tachi style with one hanger. Used 1935-1945. Blade machine-made, new production or older heritage.

— Ninja-tô | ninjatô / ninja-ken | ninja ken / shinobitô / shinobigatana | shinobi gatana | shinobi-katana / shinobiken | shinobi ken: Ninja sword with two-hand handle, blade length 42,4-54,5 cm (1 shaku 4-8 sun). Shorter than usual swords, so it can be used in confined spaces. Darkish blade and 3,6 – 4 m long sageo, that can be used as shinobinawa. Kojiri can be detached to use the saya as a shindake. Saya is longer than the blade, so the end of it can be used to carry metsubushi.

— Nu-boko | nuboko / tama-boko: The ‘Jewel Spear of Heaven’ used by the husband and wife creation deities, Izanagi and Izanami.

— Tehoko: Ancient type of spear.

— Tsukushi-boko: Ancient bronze spear head from Tsushima.

— Do-ka | doka / ka / ge: Ancient bronze halberd of Chinese type.

– Yari (spears)

— Yari | sô (spear): A generic term for a Japanese spear but usually meaning a su-yari. 1 to 6 m long nakae of bamboo, wood or iron; thins towards the blade giving better balance. Other end has an iron ishizuki, either tipped or rounded. Iron blade 8 to 50 cm long. The shape of the blade usually triangular or diamond shape. Nakago must be twice the length of the blade giving strength for the nakae. The blade binding (lacquered string) must be at least twice the lenght of the blade, there’s usually also three metal rings (usually bronze) within the length of the nakago.

— Sode-garami | Sodegarami / Sode guruma / Yagara mogara (sleeve grabber / ? / ?): Long staff with spikes and hooks in the end for grabbing clothes etc. Earlier used in sea battles, since the favorite of Edo police and often kept in guard houses

— Mojiri: Sleeve grabber. Pole weapon for police

— Hineri: A weapon to twist into and entangle the clothing

— Neji: A restraining weapon that twists or screws the felon’s clothing.

– Te-yari (hand spears)

— Uchi ne | uchi-ne | uchine / futoya / nageya / tetsukiya (? / thick arrow / throwing arrow / hand thrust arrow): Throwing spear with 36 to 75 long shaft. Mainly styled as a full-sized one, but of instead of ishizuki the other end has several feathers or long cord to balance the throw.

— Te yari | te-yari | teyari (hand spear): 40 to 50 cm long shaft.

— Nage-yari (throwing spear): A su-yari blade mounted in a short tapering shaft that is narrowest at the butt end. Shaft and blade about 60 cm in length.

— Makura yari | makura-yari | makurayari (pillow spear): A light spear with a short shaft for fighting indoors. It was placed by the pillow in the bedroom.”

– Chôtô (“sword spears”)

— Naginata (mowing edge | long blade | glaive | halberd): Curved 20-60 cm or even 76 cm long single-edge blade in the end of a long (150-280 cm) shaft. Shaft is made with oval cross-section from lacquered wood, iron or copper. Earlier ones have a longer blade with deep sori, later shorter and more straight. Back side of the blade thinner and the blade has also grooves. All don’t have san-dan-maki, but the shaft is strenghtened somehow by collars or rings. Possibly a tsuba or a crosspiece. Other end of the shaft has an ishizuki.

— Kongôjô / Kongôzue / Kongô: Long pilgrim’s staff used by yamabushi. It was made of white hardwood (iron ones are also said to have existed) with an octagonal or square cross section. It was usually thicker than most staffs used in bôjutsu.

—– Fusatsuken (no-need-to-kill knife): A special needle-like shuriken, which was small enough to conceal in the palm. Invented by Kadono Hirohide.

—– Hibashigata shuriken (fire thongs shuriken): Shirai-ryû.

—– Uchibari: Kukishin-ryû‘s harigata shuriken.

—- Yarihogata shuriken | yarinohogata shuriken / ryûseigata shuriken (spearhead-shaped shuriken / comet-shaped shuriken): At least Kôshû-ryû, Moen-ryû and Negishi-ryû. Sturdy with a large, solid point, and relatively heavy. The shuriken is tapered from the point towards the blunt end. Some had a hole at the end of the shuriken so a tassel could be tied to it.

—– Jûji bôshuriken (cross-shaped stick shuriken): Yagyû-ryû and Shinkage-ryû. A very heavy point with a round cross section. From the widest part of the point to the blunt end a short tapered section, before it gradually widened again towards the end. Cross section of the end resembles the fletchings on an arrow.

— Hachiwari | hachiwara / kabuto wari | kabuto-wari | kabutowari (skull|helmet crusher|splitter / helmet crusher|splitter): Curved pointed rod of tempered steel with hook near the handle. Length between 18-48,5 cm. “Blade” length usually 30-38 cm. Apparently used paired with sword in left hand to block or pierce armor. During the Edo period it was used as a self-defence weapon fitted like a sword.

—- Nanban Ippon ryû hananeji: A similar weapon made partly of hardwood was used by exponents of the Nanban Ippon ryû.

— Water Gun Jitte

— Chinese Design Jitte

— Korean Type Jitte

— Long Pipe Jitte

— Jitte with an ink bottle

— Jitte shaped like a Buddhist Rod

— Yariho kumiawase jitte (spear poin combination jitte): One model two rods connected from the middle and open to cross shape, one of the rods has knife edge and tassel. Used as a weapon paired with sword.

— Marohoshi jitte: Folding jitte.

— Marohoshi / yarijitte: Spear point with jitte-style side blades on the bottom of the blade.

— Jitteyari

— Karakurijitte: Spear point with folding side blade, connected with a stud.

— Jitte: Enmei-ryû, Tôri-ryû.

— Tettô (iron sword): Straight or curved tempered unsharpened iron rod, cross section round or with four, six or eight corners. Curved one has usually a handle, tsuba and saya with cord and was carried thrusted to belt like a tantô or wakizashi. Straight simple version is also called naeshi. Straight with square cross section is also called tenarashi.

— Naeshi / nayashi / zui / nui (paralyzer / ? / ? / ?): Seigô-ryû. Generally a straight baton. Basic model tantetsu tanbô (short stick of tempered iron). Metal ones 20-35 cm long with 1-2 cm diameter. Cross section round or with four, six or eight corners. Point either narrower or wider. Possible studs on the surface. Not much embellishments. Palm wide nigiri-e -handle either bare metal or covered with leather string, rattan, silk string or ray skin. End of the handle usually slightly thicker. The end of the handle has a himotsukeana with ring shaped round or heart (sharp point towards rear for striking). A cord with tassels connected from middle to the ring. Used in pair with jitte against a sword.

— Yumiorezue (broken bow staff): A whip-like weapon between 45,5 cm and 90 cm long. It was usually cut back from a bow that had broken and the remaining piece lacquered.

— Chashitsutô (tea-room-sword): A kind of bokutô, similar in length to a tantô. Before entering the tearoom, a samurai would remove the daishô from his obi and instead insert a chashitsutô. Many were lavishly carved and decorated, and designed so that the thinner, sharper part could cut through the arteries of an opponent’s wrist or throat. Used also by commoners as a self-defense weapon.

— Tenarashi / tenarashi tessen / tenarashigata tessen / tenarashigata bokusen / bokusen (? / ? / ? / ? / wooden fan): Tessen -like object that were solid and could not be opened out. It was made in various metals or of hardwood. Just like the menbarigata tessen, tenarashi came in different types, but three principal ones can be distinguished according to their shape. The gunsengata tenarashi (battlefield fan-shaped tenarashi), the maiôgigata tenarashi (dance fan-shaped tenarashi), and the sensugata tenarashi (folding fan-shaped tenarashi).

— Kanamuchi / aribô / kirikobô / gojô (iron whip / ? / ? / ?): 85-120 cm long iron weapon resembling a riding whip, used against sword. Dates back to at least the Muromachi period. In the Edo period used by guards and as a self-defence weapon.

— Niyoi: A scepter-like implement used by Buddhist priests or monks when teaching or reading sutras. Manufactured from bone, horn, wood, bamboo, and even stone. Slightly over 30 cm long.

— Tetsuniyoi / tesshaku: Made of forged iron, but usually lacquered and thus indistinguishable from lacquered wooden or bamboo models. The handle of these weapons more or less follow the curvature of the arm.

— Niyoijitte: Jitte-style hook.

— Niyoibô: Straighter model.

— Shikomi niyoi: Made of wood and bamboo but had a short dagger concealed in the handle.

— Ararebô: Believed to be self-defense weapon invented in the Edo period. About 40 cm long piece of hardwood, one end of which is fixed to a studded metal pipe some 13 cm long, while the other end is fitted into a normal piece of pipe that serves as a handle. The handle has a ring to which a cord is tied.

— Tate (shield): Wooden shields about 1,4 m high, having a hinged back support, employed as portable breastworks both for land fighting and as a protective bulwark during sea battles. A smaller version was sometimes carried to protect the left side in going into battle but was not common.

— Temanriki (ten thousand power hand): A long thin metal strip bent into a circle, both ends of which are sharpened and bent up at a ninety-degree angle. The ring can be pulled open or pushed tighter depending on the size of the user’s fingers.

— Ômanriki (big ten thousand power): Two short pieces of curved metal (with a number of teeth on the inner side) attached to one another with a small hinge. Both free ends have a piece of looped string tied to them. The index finger of one hand is inserted through one loop, and the other loop passed over the thumb. By moving the index finger and thumb, the weapon can be opened and closed.

— Hayatejô: Five 3 x 2 cm iron plates connected to one another on the longer side with a hinge, so that they resemble a large bracelet. Each plate had three protruding teeth about 0,8-1 cm long. The two outer plates each had a ring attached with a diameter of approximately 3 cm for the thumb and middle finger. A length of cord was attached to one of the rings. When seizing a criminal by the arm, the teeth would sink into the flesh, causing pain. The free end of the cord attached to one of the rings could be passed through the other ring, so when it was pulled tight, the toothed metal plates would close around the arm or wrist. The hinges allowed it to be folded up, thus making it compact and easy to conceal. Even when worn on the fingers and ready to use, it was almost completely hidden by the hand.

— Kansashi | kanzashi: About 15-30 cm long hairpin, one or two of which women when dressing formally used to hold their hair up. Metal, wood, ivory etc. Suitable for stabbing or throwing.

— Kôgai / kushi kôgai: Up to 15 cm long ornamental hairpin both for men and women. Wood, ivory or metal. Round or rectangular cross section and tapered ends.

— Bashin | umabari (horse needle): Small two-bladed metal spike; 12-15 cm long, about 13 mm wide at widest point. Either triangular cross section, two smooth blade surfaces or with one shinogi. Ring in the end of handle. Used to relieve pressure on horse’s swollen veins, but could also be used as a weapon.

— Shakuhachi: Bamboo flute that is played from top end. As short stick suitable to use as a weapon.

— Shikomibue: Made from iron or contains blade, metsubushi or poison.

— Shikomi shamisen: A blade hidden into the neck of the instrument.

— Hana-neji | hananeji / hananejiri / hananejibô (nose screw | nose twister / ? / -): 30-85 cm long iron rod or wooden stick, with usually cord fitted to top of handle part. Cross section round, hexagonal or octagonal. Could be pushed through a cord looped through horse’s nostrils and twisted to control the animal. It gradually changed from a stable tool to a self-defense weapon.

— Carried on saya pushed through tsuba‘s hitsu ana. Usually on shôtô, but can also be on daitô or tantô.

— Kozuka / kogatana | kokatana / kozuka kogatana (small handle / small blade / small-handled small blade): Small knife. Also the name of just the handle, blade being called ho or kokatana. Used as a utility knife or throwing spike.

— Tomozuka kogatana: Similar to kozuka and fits into pocket on saya. Blade and handle are of one part, and the knife is more suitable for throwing.

— Gunbei-uchiwa | gumbai-uchiwa / gunbai | gumbai | gunpai: Solid metal or more often wood, “butterfly shaped”, fan part has commander’s mon. War fan to send messages to troops on the battlefield by waving above head. Became a sign of rank because they were carried only by high-ranking officers.

— Shikomi gunbai: A knife hidden in the handle.

— Sensu: Folding fan. By 7th century very popular in court and amongst nobles. Oldest version piled and bound from thin strips of hinoki (Japanese cypress). Later paper glued to bamboo framework.

— Styles of regular and iron fans:

—- Sensu-gata: Basic model (full-width ribs)

—- Maiôgi-gata: Used in traditional dance and kabuki (thin ribs)

—- Gunsen-gata: Used to command troops in the battlefield (bottom part of ribs 1/3 thinner).

— Tessen | tetsu sen (iron fan): Usually one shaku in length (30 cm), handle can be bound from silk cord, possibly a cord and tassel at end. Practical solution when swords cannot be carried or used or killing is not a purpose.

— Menhari-gata / menbarigata tessen: Working fan, in which iron cover ribs and iron/bronze/bamboo inside ribs are connected with silk or strong washi rice paper. Paper is usually lacquered, strengthened with gold or silver layer or treated with oil for ornamental reasons and durability. Can represent any of the three “gata”. Expensive to manufacture and difficult to maintain. “Full iron version” is heavier, but can be applied as self defense weapon even when opened.

— Tenarashi-gata / tenarashi / motsu-shaku: Iron rod that resembles (more or less) a folded fan. Also hardwood (eg. oak) motsu-shaku both for a weapon and for training; lighter to carry in belt. Better weapon and more durable than menhari-gata, and becomes the most popular model. Also used by the police in combination with jitte.

— Amigasa: Woven hat. Some made of metal and lower-ranking samurai used them as cooking utensils. Covers identity and can be used to hide documents. Suitable for transportation of food, gunpowder or firearms. Can be thrown as a distraction. Can be used to catch fish, insects or birds.

— Sekihitsu: Chalk to make markings and coded transmissions, because the writing can be rubbed away. Suitable for use as tsubute. Also yatate (brush an ink in a case) was sometimes used.

— Sanshaku tefuki | sanjaku tenugi | sanjaku tenogui | sanjaku tenugui: Three shaku (91 cm) long hand towel for binding wounds, use as a weapon by placing a stone inside, to dampen the noise of metal tools, improvised bag or to hide face. Also used as a filter to drink dirty water by folding it and placing on the surface of water. Carried folded inside jacket. Colored deep red to blend into darkness.

— Kaginawa [see Tôki]

— Uchidake [see Kaki]

— Shishaku takezue (yonshaku shikomi chikujo) [see shinobi-zue]

— Shinobibashigo [see Tôki]

– Kakushi-buki (hidden weapons)

— Kôbô (see ‘Zue / bô – staffs’)

— Teppen: Scrap iron.

— Katagi: Piece of wood.

— Kokeshi / doku-kokeshi (figure / poisoned figure): Wooden figure or doll. When head is removed a poison needle or chain or something else is revealed. Head or chain could be used as a striking weapon, and needle poison could kill. Could be also used to transport other weapons, documents or messages.

— ?: Bunch of flowers hiding a blade. Kunoichi weapon.

— Shikomi bunchin (deceptive paperweight): Keps inside a house ready to use as a weapon.

— Kunai fundô: Kunai, with attached kusarifundô or fundô at the end of a cord.

– Shikoro (sawing tools)

— Different size tools to breach walls, floors etc. Double blade that was used to bore, widen holes and saw. Also applicable as a weapon.

— Shô-shikoro (small saw)

— Chû-shikoro (middle saw)

— Dai-shikoro (large saw)

– Heiki (closing tools)

— Kasugai: Staple-shaped iron clamps to lock doors open or closed.

– Tôki (climbing tools)

— Shukô | shukko | tekagi | te kagi (hand hook): Togakure-ryû. Used in hands in pairs either for climbing or as a defensive weapon. Iron band around the palm – with spikes on the palm side – is connected with iron or leather band to metal band around wrist. Often used with ashikô.